FanDuel strategy for the 2015 NBA playoffs

First off, a quick introduction. If you don't know what FanDuel is, well, you're missing out. FanDuel is a site that offers daily fantasy sports games. Participants get a chance every day to select new players, fill out a lineup and, most importantly, win some cash. If you choose poorly Monday, you can come back Tuesday and try again. Easy as that. Click here to enter a $2 FanDuel contest that offers a $10,000 prize today.

As for what we're doing in this space: The goal here will be to direct your attention toward some players who you might not otherwise consider. If you're here and reading this, then you already know that LeBron James is really good. But when filling out a roster you can't just pick out stars. You'll blow your cap and get stuck praying to the basketball gods that a guy like Kosta Koufos gets into the game. No, if you want to win, you have to take advantage of certain matchups -- and in order to do that you have to know where to look. That's what we're here for. Also, this space is going to be used to give you advice for the games on Tuesday, May 12 and Wednesday May 13. So, with that, let's get started.

Austin Rivers, PG, Clippers: The bet here is that the Rockets roll over and Rivers ends up seeing around 30 minutes of playing time. The Clippers are up 3-1 and so there's no reason for Doc Rivers to push Chris Paul, who's still recovering from that hamstring injury that kept him out of the series' first two games. When he returned to the floor in Game 3 Paul played 23 minutes. In Game 4 he played 26. Rivers played 23 and 24 in those games, respectively, and has scored 37 points while pulling down 11 rebounds. He's not going to put up huge numbers, but if you want to be able to afford guys like Blake Griffin (who's going for $11,600 on Tuesday), you need low-cost players. Rivers is listed at $4,200. That's value you should be taking advantage of.

Marc Gasol, C, Grizzlies: The Warriors have been putting the 6'7 Draymond Green on Gasol, and the 7'1 center has responded with some big games. He's averaging 19.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in four games against the Warriors as the Grizzlies have leaned on him on offense. Steve Kerr's decision to have Andrew Bogut guard Tony Allen in Game 4 made life more difficult for Gasol -- Bogut was able to camp out in the paint and help on Gasol -- but Gasol still had 19 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Clearly, Golden State is a team he's comfortable playing against.

Al Horford, C, Hawks: Atlanta has increased its offensive efficiency of late, mainly by putting the ball back in Al Horford's hands. Against the Wizards Horford is averaging 16.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists. The Wizards have no one who could guard him and the Hawks are taking advantage. He'll be expensive, but won't cost an arm and a leg. He's also as reliable a player as there is.

Kyrie Irving, PG, Cavaliers: Irving is far from 100 percent. He might not even be at 50 percent right now. A strained right foot is bad enough, but on Monday we learned that he also has tendinitis in his left knee. He's got just 23 points in the past two games and looks like he can barely make it up and down the court. In Game 4 David Blatt even had Irving on the bench during some key situations. Irving is averaging 18.5 points and shooting just 36 percent this postseason. He'll be lucky to match those numbers on Tuesday. At a price of $8,800, you should be staying far away.

James Harden, SG, Rockets: This series has not gone as planned for Harden (or the Rockets). The Clippers are gearing their entire defense toward keeping him away from the basket, a strategy that thus far has been working. This series against the Clippers Harden is averaging 24.5 points on 45-percent shooting. For most players, those are good numbers. But for Harden, who's going for $9,900 in FanDuel, that's just not good enough -- even when added to the 9.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds he's averaging. You're better off breaking the bank on a player like Blake Griffin.

Kyle Korver, SG, Hawks: Korver has really struggled against the Wizards, as Atlanta's lack of consistent ball movement has prevented him from getting the open looks he normally does. Against Washington he's averaging 9.3 points per game, despite playing nearly 38 minutes. The Wizards have made stopping Korver a priority, and so far their strategy has worked.

Other Notables

Ramon Sessions remains an excellent value play as he continues to take John Wall's spot in the starting lineup. He's averaging 14.0 points and 5.0 assists in the Wizards' last three games ... The Rockets are mostly using Trevor Ariza to defend Blake Griffin, which has kept him on the floor for 38.5 minutes per game this series. Ariza has responded by averaging 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists ... Stay away from all Chicago big men. They've all struggled against the Cavaliers, who are now using a big lineup with Kevin Love out.